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Re: Nukes close, infant deaths go down - Tooth Fairy Project - NY Times



Unlike some Radsafers, my comments are quite printable, and I hope that they are

widely printed.



Many thanx for bringing this article to my attention.  When I was growing up, in

Long Branch, NJ, the NY Times was probably one of the many advantages of living

in the NYC area.  This is a well written and well balanced article, although

those who don't read beyond the headline may get the wrong impression.



I especially encourage you to look at the work of John Boice, who is quoted,

here.  He is a classmate of mine, is arguably the best contemporary

epidemiologist, and has done a lot of work on this issue.



The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Curies forever.





Bill Lipton

liptonw@dteenergy.com





Norman Cohen wrote:



> mailbox@gsenet.org wrote:

>

> > 020430

> >

> > GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS

> >

> > ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

> >

> >                            TABLE OF CONTENTS

> >                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> >       {*} NUCLEAR POWER OPPONENTS CITE LINK TO INFANT DEATH RATES

> >       :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

> >

> > NUCLEAR POWER OPPONENTS CITE LINK TO INFANT DEATH RATES

> >

> > Date: 30 Apr 2002

> > From: MerBenzRN@aol.com

> >

> > By Andrew C. Revkin, NY Times, April 30, 2002

> >

> >  Antinuclear campaigners plan to announce today that a new study shows

> > that infant death rates downwind of eight American nuclear power

> > plants dropped significantly after they were shut down.

> >

> >  Some plan to use the findings to support calls for closing the

> > nuclear reactors at Indian Point, the plant closest to New York City,

> > in Westchester County.

> >

> >  But federal officials, some radiation experts and representatives of

> > the nuclear power industry said that there was no evidence to link

> > illness and proximity to nuclear plants and that minute, occasional

> > releases from such plants were much lower than natural radiation

> > levels.

> >

> >  The new statistical study, which is being published in the next issue

> > of The Archives of Environmental Health, was conducted by a group of

> > scientists who for many years have purported to show a link between

> > mortality and illness and low levels of radiation from power plants,

> > bomb tests and other sources.

> >

> >  But their past work has never been replicated by federal health

> > researchers, and the statistical analysis they used in some earlier

> > studies has been challenged by the National Cancer Institute.

> >

> >  The study said the infant death rate in communities for two years

> > preceding the plant shutdowns averaged 8.44 deaths per 1,000 births

> > and, when all the mortality data for two years after the plant

> > shutdowns were combined, the infant mortality rate dropped to 7.01 per

> > 1,000 births.

> >

> >  The difference was statistically significant, the authors said, and

> > the drop was greater than the general drop in infant death rates

> > around the country in recent years.

> >

> >  The scientists, from the Radiation and Public Health Project, a

> > nonprofit group, defended their new findings and cited the need for

> > much more research.

> >

> >  Joseph J. Mangano, a public health statistician and the national

> > coordinator for the group, said a statistical link does not prove a

> > cause and effect, but points to the need for more work.

> >

> >  "A lot of things could affect infant deaths," he said. "The list is

> > literally endless. This doesn't mean we've proved anything beyond a

> > shadow of a doubt, but what I will say is we really need to do more

> > follow-up."

> >

> >  Among other things, the study examined statistics from counties and

> > cities downwind of eight nuclear plants that shut down either for a

> > prolonged period or permanently - in Connecticut, Maine,

> > Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Colorado, Michigan and Wisconsin.

> >

> >  Dr. John Boice Jr., who directed a 1991 National Cancer Institute

> > study of disease patterns around nuclear plants and other institutions

> > using radiation, said no link emerged.

> >

> >  "There are so many other important things to worry about in terms of

> > radiation - like what are we doing to do with the waste and the

> > terrorism issue," he said last night.

> >

> > * * *

> >

> > Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company

> >

> > ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

> >

>

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